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Tanking 101: Old Kingdom, pull by pull

I had the idea of doing a post just covering one instance’s tanking. And not even the details of the whole fights. I just want to go end to end and do every pull in the instance. The goal of this post is to explain the thinking and planning that goes into pulling. I am going to just cover how I do these pulls and why. There are way too many ways to cover doing it wrong. I might cover a couple examples of less optimal pulls but if I do I will note them as such. Also this is entirely 100% from memory. So chances are I will get some details wrong. But since I don’t look at guides while I tank so I guess it is appropriate to not give explanations based on more information than what I would have while running the place.

DISCLAIMER: This is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to old kingdom. It is intended to be a illustration to prospective tanks to show them the thinking and planning that goes into doing pulls.

Old Kingdom
This place has always been one of my favorites. The pulls are varied and interesting and the place has a nice epic feel to it.

Pull 1: Two watchers
At the bottom of the entry ramp are the two watchers. They hit decently hard and I think are pure melee. They might not be linked but they are close enough that it does not matter. I just move right in on these two and face pull. Sometimes it is nice to mark one but the main reason to do that is to test your pug and see if they actually down the marked one first.

Pull 2+: Solo pats
Now already this place gets interesting. Past the watchers is a courtyard and them some stairs on either side of the stairs are two groups. These groups can be left alone. With the groups are two solo patrollers. They are on opposite sides and alternately patrol across in front of the steps. They take long enough to do it that you can pull just one and move your entire party past before the next one patrols. But, depending on how you plan to pull the next group the second patroller might hit you from behind. If you really get things twisted up you can get the second patroller hitting you from behind just when your healer gets blasted for half their health. So unless you know the next pack cold I recommend taking the second patroller out. Naturally you must time the pulls to not agro the packs on the sides.

Pull 3: First shadow-caster packPersonally I never do that second patroller because I tend to hit the next pack in a very optimal position while moving quickly forward. This next pack is 4 and patrols. It goes down a hall from the top of the steps and back to near another group in the room beyond. The safest place to hit it is right at the top of the steps. The best place to hit it if you are skipping the second patroller is down the short hall, just before you are out in the next room. What makes this group nasty is the shadowcaster. They hit HARD. And they cast so they stay well back. A good healer can heal through caster, even if the caster is shooting them. However, a good tank will never ever force a good healer to do that. The good tank, will mark that caster as primary and take it out fast. My skull raidmark is macroed to my Num-0 over on the number pad. This is a nice big button for fast for hitting while tanking. I tank as a bear so I am going to move straight through the group while hitting swipe and go right for the caster. I might charge to get through the group or I might run to the group and then charge through it to get to the caster. As I said I hit this group right at the end of the hall. Hitting it farther in means you probably pull one or more additional groups. Hitting it way in there will pull two groups at once. If two shadowcasters both shoot you at the same time you might die. If you shadowcasters shoot your healer at the same time they will be so dead the spirit healer will take damage.

Pull 4: Shadow-caster pack 2This group is in the room the right and back. As you enter the room there are a lot of small things bugs off to your right. They are pathetic so ignore them. To your left is another pack. In this place you can either go right OR left but you don’t need to clear both, I go right so I only care about the group in front of me and to my right. I charge in. As before the caster gets primary and I hit it hard and fast. Lets say this time I am so focued on the caster that one of the others pulls off me. No problem I just go taunt and pick it up after the caster is dead. While I am at it I go toss an AOE at the small bugs in the corner. You can bypass them but they look better dead.

Pull 5: Shadow-caster Pack 3Past the last group there are some steep stairs. To the right of the bottom of the stairs are some more small trash bugs. I jump over the stair rail and aoe them to death. Those are not a real pull. Next I spin around and wait for the party to catch up. In front of me across the room is a pack and then another pack patrolling around it. The patrol goes from way back in the far right corner all the way to near the bottom of the steps. Hopefully no DPS has already agroed them. This pack is perfect for an LOS pull…

The key here is the healer standing off to your left, by the wall next to the steps. If the healer is out in the open they are likly to get shot by the caster. The steps themselves will block LOS for the pull. I pick the shadow caster and mark it will skull. Then I pick the closest nerubian and feral faerie fire it. Next I move quickly to my left and hide by the steps. The group charges in. With even a little luck the caster will move a few steps forward. The rest of the pack gets here fast and starts attacking. The DPSers all start shooting and hacking at things. Only you care that the caster is your primary target. You throw some AOE to get agro on the three melee mobs and then you move from under cover. I can’t take the risk that the caster will get agro on someone else so I only give it a few steps toward the group, far enough to be away from the other group, and then I charge in. Swipe swipe swipe (with macroed and glyphed Maul) and that group is down. When you know this pull and do it smoothly it is easy. If you botch it you get two groups and dual shadow-casters will likely send someone to visit the land of black&white graphics.

Pull 6: last shadow caster pack
This group is stationary and has a shadow caster. I hit it hard and fast so they stay bunched up when I get to the caster. Once again the caster is primary. They really do hit rather hard.

Pull 7: trash and then the bossIn the next room there is a cluster of patrolling tiny bugs (one fast AOE hit) and then a boss. The boss is an easy pull. Just go hit it. I was not planning to cover boss fights, but for anyone that found this post from google and needs to know: When the purple shield pops up, find the guardian and kill it. Also AOE a lot and tell your healer to stand near you.

Pull 8: PatrolThere is a patrol just outside the other side of the boss room. Ignore it and go to the right down the steps. If anyone agros it kick/ignore them.

Pull 8.5: bug trash
Some tiny bugs patrol up and down the steps on the second flight and landing. AOE = dead.

Pull 9: More LOS
Now you are on a big landing, looking left from where you came down. In front of you is a pack. Of to your left are some giants and other stuff. Some of that pack in front our casters. You don’t want to fight them where the pack stands because that puts your DPS, heals and some patrolling giants and things all behind you and out of your vision. Instead run forward to where there is a little out-jut in the wall to your left. Hit the closest one of that pack with something ranged and then dodge behind the wall to your left. Do it fast, before your party is ready. Most people don’t seem to LOS this group. Most DPS screw it up by shooting them or hitting them before they get to you. You plan for them to do that by first moving fast enough that they aren’t ready to mess you up and second by expecting them to engage in the middle of the LOS pull. So now you are hiding behind the wall, the mobs are half way back to you and someone has just stepped past you and engaged. Since you expected that you jump out of your hiding spot early and engage with them. The group may or may not have gotten spread out by this sequence of events. If they did, watch for the farthest one to pull off you (If you don’t have the built in feature for announcing target changes in combat text turned on then go turn it on now. Seriously, this is majorly handy for tanking.) When it pulls off you taunt it. If you are a bear. Pallies and warriors can just ranged silence and DK can just grip it.

Pull 10: Giests Patrol
Next up there are several groups that patrol around. Two packs of Giests and two giants. The giants do fear. Wait for the first giest pack to get close and hit it with a ranged move. Don’t move toward it, let it come to you and aoe it down.

Pull 11: Giant
Now move forward just enough to engage the first giant. While you are doing it you are watching two things. One is the second giest pack which is patrolling nearby and the second is for any of your party to get feared either into the group on the far left, the other giant or the giest pack). Expect one of those things to happen and be ready for it. Stay well to the right and just plan on agroing the giest pack soon after. This should put you far enough from the group on the left to be safe from the fear.

Pull 12: giest pack
Depending on the patrol timing you might do this pack before the giant. Not likely though. Same as before, engage and aoe them down.

Pull 13: platform pack
Now you are going up the ramp to the right. That other giant should be far away but don’t forget it is there. The group you are after is at the top of the platform. It is mixed with casters and melee. There are two tricky bits, one is that the pylon in the center of the platform blocks line of sight. The other is that the ramp platform lip also blocks those on the ramp. Be sure your healer has caught up before going on to the platform (Or pop cooldowns) and don’t get on the other side of the pylon from your heals. You can use the pylon LOS to move the casters closer to you if you are good. Throw around plenty of agro as this spread out group is likely to get pulled off you.

Pull 14 and 15: Giant and platform
You might do the other platform next or the other giant. They both work like the first platform and giant. When doing the giant watch out for fearing into that group that is still down there.

Pull 16: Prince vampire
He is annoying but super easy. As you go up the ramp to him watch that your dps does not agro that other pack. Then move in and engage. Every now and then he vampires someone. If it is the healer, and there is a fire orb up, pop a cooldown.

Pull 17: Now it gets interesting
If anyone in your group is extra dumb, over eager and does not listen, now is the time to votekick. You go past the boss, down the ramp and come out on a raised area overlooking a lot of packs. This place use to be very tricky but now that they dumb it down… it is just as bad because now people do it even worse.
Here is what not to do… don’t’ leave the platform.
Directly in front of the platform there is a group patrolling left and right. Past that group to the right side is another group. Off the far right and left ends of the platform are two more groups. Time the patrolling group until it is just to the left of the center of its patrol path. This means it is not near any other group. Shoot at it or throw something ranged. Now STEP BACK! The top of the steps will LOS the casters. If you don’t do that some helpful DPS will run down the steps to engage the caster. It they do, taunt what they are fighting and back up even more. The big risk in this area is agroing extra groups.

Pull 18: Front right campDon’t leave the platform! Do something to shoot the group the front and right and then back up again. Can you skip this group? Kinda. Can you wipe if you skip it and mess up? Yeah. Don’t bother skipping it. Don’t forget to back up after you agro them and double check that no patrol was near them.
If you run down there and fight where they stand you run a good chance of getting the group behind them too.

Pull 19: far left camp
We are going for the tree boss so we now go down the far left end of the steps and engage the group there. Alternately, do be safer, you can pull them up to your spot on the platform and kill them the same as the last two.

Pull 20: Shambler 1
It is a single patrolling target, kill it. Do it fast-ish because there is another one patrolling back there.

Pull 21-22: more shamblers
There is another one down around the ramp. Kill it. There is one straight ahead after that. You theoretically can skip it but if you have some run to melee a ‘shroom while you are on the boss they might agro it. Pull and kill it before the boss.

Pull 23: Boss
These days you can kill it without doing the mushrooms. If you want to though you can go kill a healthy mushroom to get the debuff off you. Kill the boss.

Pull 24: Pack by the fire
Leave the dead boss and go back up the to the courtyard area. There are two ways to the second to last boss, one is right in front of you. Move in and engage the group by the bonfire. They might have someone ranged but if you move if fast and fight where they stand you are fine.

Pull 25: Elementals
Dead ahead and just before the stairs are some elementals. Some are ranged and they hit fairly hard. I just charge I and kill them where they stand.

Pull 26: Groupies
At the top of the steps is a platform area with lots of worshipers. Soon as they are all dead the boss will come down. If you want a tiny breather you can do just half of them, rest a second, and then do the other half so there is less to deal with as a part of the boss pull.

Pull 27: Bossette
She pulls herself the instant the last worshiper dies. Just pick her up as she comes down.
Be ready to drop the add fast when it starts going toward the circle. If you don’t get it down before it gets there blow any and all tanking cooldowns as boss returns. She will be hitting very hard and might take the healer by surprise.
After the boss be sure to go back around via the side you cleared. If you have a particularly oblivious DPSer they might start going back via the side that was NOT cleared. It happens more often than you might think so expect it. But don’t wait around on the platform. As soon as the boss drops start moving toward the cleared side and hope the others take the hint.

Pull 28: pack under the tentThere is still the pack to the right end of the steps (left if you are on the way back from the boss) (I mean the steps we fought several groups at the top of). To avoid the groups to the far left (the other approach to the bossette) I will go back up the steps, across to the far end of the platform and then jump down behind them. Then I will start engaging the group from behind so they move slightly toward me and away from the other packs. I COULD have done this group before we went down to the tree boss. In fact I should have but was being lazy. (there use to be a patrol that made tanking this group on top of the stairs a vastly better idea)

Pull 29: first faceless one
So now we go up the big ramp to the final area. Dead ahead is a narrow area and then the first faceless one. I engage him close to where he is standing. Just a little back from there to avoid the patrolling ones but not so far back as to get him in the really narrow spot. These faceless throw a slow moving purple missile. It hits hard but is easy to dodge. Tanking him close to where he stood gives the DPS more room to dodge the missile. Most DPS don’t even know you can dodge it so they just stand there and get hit.

Pull 30: Second faceless
Here you have two patrols. If you wait for one and then fight him roughly where he is you are likely to get the second one agroed from your side. Instead I run past their patrol line off to the left and pull the left one over away from where he was patting. This has the double bonus of leaving me looking straight at the second one just in case an extra intelligent ranged dps decides to stand over near where he patrols.

Pull 31: last faceless
Nothing special for this one. Move in and take him when he is to the right (closer to the entrance) so you are not near the boss.

Pull 32: Boss
Kill him… By the way. If you are a rage using tank remember to kill your healer first. If you don’t you will get rage starved when the healer is the only one left. If you don’t know what I am talking about, you will wahahahaa.

That is it. All of Old Kingdom pull by pull. I went a bit fast but I hope it helped illustrate some of the decision making that goes into doing various types of pulls. If you are confused by anything please please ask in the comments. Keep in mind I might have forgotten something. I did this purely from memory to illustrate that a decent tank needs to be able to remember every pull in an instance and how they are unique. Happy tanking.

4 Responses

Great, great article. There are a couple of things here that I will be sure to try in my pulls.

One question though, that you may not have an answer for… The two pulls on the platforms leading up to the vampire boss … one of the mobs (the eye I believe) has a silence, and this has proven to be quite deadly when my DK tank gets silenced and cannot use most of his taunts/aggro-building abilities. Any advice for avoiding this?

Oo that is a tough one. It is interesting the way different tanks have trouble with different pulls. Silence them first is one idea but an imperfect one. I am not at all a DK expert. Not even close. But since I am cocky and aragant I will answer anyway.
Get your AOE threat down on the ground fast is critical because then you keep up threat during the effect. Popping anti magic zone is not a bad plan if you have it. Will not keep threat but will lessen their damage. You might also pop any damage mitigation moves or cooldowns early, perhaps before the pull. The less you need to be healed the less agro the healer will get. You are going to want to change your normal opening rotation to front load more aoe threat. Maybe that means spreading just one plague around instead of two. It might also mean putting your goul on something that you are not primarying. I think your strikes don’t get silenced so be ready to fall back on those. If you drop agro on more than one you have to fall back on ‘tank triage’ and decide which to not pull back and then you can strike and melee the other.
A final plan is to BEG your party to follow kill order and to mark that guy first. This is where keybinding skull is super handy. Then you can throw just a little aoe threat and hit him with something hard and fast. If they follow kill order you are golden.
I first thing to try would be all of the above. Mark, silence, aoe threat, single-target, single-target, single-target.